Wayne Newsome, who died recently aged 37, came from lowly beginnings and worked at Britain's finest restaurants alongside kitchen greats such as Marco Pierre White, the Roux brothers and Gordon Ramsay.

His widow Lisa Newsome, a restaurant negotiator, described her husband as a "spontaneous, eccentric and generous man with a love of life".

Wayne was born in Burmantofts, Leeds, and after his mother died when he was two he lived with aunts in Bridlington and East Ardsley. As a boy he was a talented boxer, but a blood clot ended that. Instead he turned his interest to animals – rearing ducks to eat and walking miles with his dog, Snowy.

He trained in catering at Thomas Danby College in Leeds where he was recognised both as a promising chef and a real character.

In 1989 he landed his first job as commis chef at Ilkley's Michelin starred Box Tree, simply knocking at the door uninvited. It was classic Wayne, and an approach he later employed at London's three-star Le Gavroche.

In the next five years he worked at numerous top dining venues. At the Michelin starred Harveys in London he was alongside the strident Marco Pierre White with whom he shared a flat and revered.

Feeling lazy one day he put a false "pot" on his arm as a joke – only to be told that if he could hold a knife he could still work.

Then came Alexander House, East Ginstead, where he proved himself an expert in the patisserie section.

In June 1991 as first commis at Le Gavroche he worked with Michelle Roux Jnr, again focusing on patisserie.

By January 1992 Wayne was chef at the Waterside Inn in Bray under the direction of Michelle Roux himself. He then moved to Yorkshire to work as sous chef at Guellers in Harrogate with Simon Gueller, who today operates the Box Tree.

He then returned to the Box Tree where he met David Clay, whom he came to regard as the greatest chef. In February 1993 Wayne started at Sous Le Nez in Leeds before launching the first of his Leeds catering ventures.

After work, and without permission, he made pastries in Sous Le Nez's kitchens which he then sold in Leeds' Granary Wharf using the proceeds to fund a bakery and patisserie he opened in 1995 on Meanwood Road called Marcell's.

With a partner, he soon changed this to a bistro where you could bring your own wine. It was a tiny, quirky place seating just 20, where food was passed over heads and you crossed the kitchen to the toilets, but it still proved a great success.

Marcell's was sold to fund a larger new Marcell's on Harrogate Road. This restaurant's individual decor included "bottom" shaped chairs and a painting by Ollie Redding on the ceiling. Wayne claimed he rejected the offer of a Michelin star, but the second Marcell's proved very successful and a third partner joined the venture.

Ever an eye to a business opportunity Wayne began to supply pastries to the Townhouse in Leeds and worked on the restaurant establishing its 'Rosti' menu, according to Lisa. But, she adds, this distracted Wayne from the new Marcell's and his partnership folded.

Still determined to succeed, Wayne rebranded Marcell's as Fude offering French and British cuisine and with a deli downstairs. Sadly his heart was no longer in it and after a year, and the added complication of the restaurant suffering fire damage, it closed, recalls Lisa.

Wayne launched a new patisserie and sandwich outlet called "Dough" in a unit at West Park, Leeds, and it soon took off. Two days before Valentine's Day he suddenly decided to turn it into a bistro and along with Lisa set about chipping plaster from the walls. On the first night customers sat on rickety chairs amid bricks and dust.

Again it was a tiny, quirky eaterie where plates were passed over heads and the menu changed daily, but it was popular and earned a listing in The Guardian's top meals for under £50.

Break

Wayne suffered from depression and, while he loved setting things up, he was often restless, preferring to "break" things up rather than wait for them to crumble. In October 2005 he sold "Dough".

Both he and Lisa wanted to live in the country and spent time in his "spiritual home" of Whitby. There then followed periods touring both Spain and France seeking sites for restaurant ventures.

In 2006 he returned to Whitby where he became head chef at the Dunsley Hall Hotel. He was later joined by Lisa after selling their Leeds home. Wayne was in poor health when he left in April last year and came to work at Arts Bar in Call Lane and Roast in Great George Street. He returned to Dunsley Hall last December only to get sacked for punching a chef.

His final position was as head chef at the Cliffe Mount Hotel, Runswick Bay, shortly before he died.

In addition to Lisa, Wayne leaves a step-daughter, Kia Rickelton, two nieces, Libby and Kasja Rickelton, and a godson, Jacob May, his brother Tony and half sister, Shirley.

More than 200 friends, including old customers, attended his funeral at Rawdon.

One avid fan of Wayne's cooking who enjoyed eating at his restaurants for a decade is retired maths teacher, Bernie Haynes. He says about Wayne, "The word passion is quite often a misused and overused word but Wayne Newsome was genuinely passionate about food – its provenence, its cooking and, very importantly, its eating."

Lisa adds, "I would like to say a personal thank you to all his amazing friends who have become his family and who came to say goodbye at the funeral."

At Wayne's funeral his coffin was covered in carrots, symbolising his philosophy that the little things were important.

"He always stressed that carrots are important," says Lisa. "He believed that humble ingredients lay behind the most fantastic of dishes."